Brenda Stichter, artist

Psalm 25 Landscape "But you have painted red ones that I like before," he said, when I told my son that THIS is the red painting he looked at yesterday. "I just can't do red," I told him. Yesterday this painting was almost entirely shades of red in a purely abstract pattern that I was working on. The composition was taken from a portion of another of my paintings. I do often work that way, and I love seeing what I can do with those older ideas. But this 'red' painting was just "crying out to me" to become an abstracted landscape!  9" x 12" Painted with acrylic heavy-body paint on acid-free, heavy weight Fabriano watercolor paper Click here to view on my website.  I have been watching an instructional video for abstract painting, and one of the (many) things that really struck me was the teacher's statement that she wanted to discover what she really loved, and that she discovered that it was abstract painting. I feel th

In His Right Hand Today started out well. In spite of pain, I was able to accomplish several tasks that are normally quite challenging for me. It is a BEAUTIFUL day in northern Indiana, as each day this week has been. I kept my phone nearby for the call from the new specialist for scheduling the procedure for alleviating this pain. Only, when they called, I learned that the tests show nothing wrong, and there will be no treatment.  I must admit, I have not handled this well. I want to be faithful and strong and brave, and tell you that all is well. It is well , but I am not feeling it. I am just struggling with questions...  Updated - NLA I know this may sound like I am asking for encouraging notes and "suck-it-up-cupcake" comments, but that is not why I write this. In an effort to live transparently, I am sharing this difficult battle. I would generally consider myself to be a happy, cheerful person, and I hope that my paintings and my blog reflect that. I am com

Well Done ACEO Today's Bible reading was full of convicting passages for me. I read from the New Testament where Jesus distinguishes between people who are merely religious, and those who truly follow Him. I also read in the Psalms about the man who God allows to come near to Himself. In both places, I found enough to call me to prayer and contemplation.  This past weekend was great for three of the four of us in our family. One has successfully sold property to raise funds for grad school, one is celebrating a new living situation, and I am looking forward with hope to medical procedures which may alleviate the pain I have been enduring for months. These are such great blessings!  But one of us is facing a huge challenge and frustration at work. In the midst of a large and expensive project with many facets and interconnecting parts, a key piece has failed. Now a new solution has to be found, and it has to fit into a tight timeline, too.  2.5" x 3.5" ACEO Pain

Cascades ACEO I am sitting here in my motel room, drinking a cup of coffee and finishing my breakfast of a chocolate croissant. Pandora is playing on my computer, and just over my shoulder is a balcony opening on gorgeous gardens with waterfalls, walkways, and wonderful plants.  2.5" x 3.5" ACEO Painted with acrylic heavy-body paint on acid-free, heavy weight Fabriano watercolor paper Frame available for additional cost - contact me for details My Beloved Husband and I have been on a business trip to a convention in a gorgeous resort, and it is one of the times when I am amazed at the blessings we receive from our Heavenly Father. HE always gives such good gifts! (Even the difficult ones are good gifts, but that is for another blog post!) Today I am just celebrating His kindness to me. The shapes and colors in this little ACEO  remind me of the waterfalls and trickling streams that are all through the gardens here at the motel. You can almost see the tropical pl

Abstract 027 When I travel, I usually take a different Bible with me than I use at home. I am travelling as I write this post, and this morning's reading was in the Psalms, and I am reading from my tiny copy of the Message version of the Bible. Sometimes it is extra tough to concentrate when I am on the road (don't worry - I am not literally on the road!), and it started out that way today, too. But the Message has been translated into 'contemporary English' by a poet, and the Psalms are ancient poems, so the wording is particularly beautiful.  6" x 6" Painted with acrylic heavy-body paint on acid-free, heavy weight Fabriano watercolor paper Ready to frame Just look at this passage! Psalm 21:5-6 the Message You lifted him high and bright as a cumulus cloud,     then dressed him in rainbow colors. You pile blessings on him;    you make him glad when you smile. As an artist, and an avid sky watcher, this imagery is just stunning. Today's lit

Raindrops on the Water "We need to schedule some times for me to come to your studio and get some footage," said my friend Marc . Marc is an internationally recognized performance artist, and he is making a documentary film entitled 'The Five' which will be about five artists from our small Indiana town. We all met in Marc's gallery last night to get schedules coordinated and ideas on the table.  11" x 14" Painted with acrylic heavy-body paint on acid-free, heavy weight Fabriano watercolor paper Ready to frame We are a diverse group in so many ways! There are two abstractionists, a colorist, a multimedia artist, and an illustrator - three men and two women. We also have very different philosophies about our art, and I expect there to be fascinating perspectives to consider. I feel so honored to be chosen for this project! As I talked to the multimedia artist, she talked about the inspiration for her recently-awarded painting. She and I talked

Glenna, Too First off today, before I write about this painting, I want to welcome my new newsletter subscribers, and try to help those of you who have been around for awhile overcome the shock of hearing from me more than once a year! Since I have not done well at consistently getting my newsletter written, I have decided to connect it with my blog posts. At this point, an email will go out whenever I post on my blog. If you would like to receive email less frequently, but would still like to be on the list, please contact me! I haven't figured out all the tricks of the trade yet, but I want to work with you on that. (At some point, I hope to get the automatic scheduling worked out, but that might be a little while!) 6" x 6"  Painted with Golden Open Acrylic paint on Art Bite panel This is the second painting I have posted of my Grandmother, Glenna . As I mentioned before, I have photos of her that were taken when she was young, and I love how they remind

Little Seascape One more post of a small abstract landscape - this one reminds me of stormy clouds coming or going. These little works turn out to be such bright spots of color, and sometimes they work well as studies for my larger works.  Please do visit my website at   www.brendakaypaintings.com   and my facebook painting page here:  www.facebook.com/BrendaKayPaintings/  See you soon! SOLD 6" x 6"  Painted with acrylic heavy-body paint on Art Bite panel Ready to frame

Cheery Little Landscape Often when I am "fighting with" large paintings in my studio, it is a pleasant break to paint a little, colorful work just for the joy of it. I really do love playing with color, texture, contrast and composition. I love to make a little cheerful piece that would be enough to brighten my day even in the tiniest room!  6" x 6"  Painted with acrylic heavy-body paint on acid-free, heavy weight Fabriano watercolor paper Actually, I am learning, too, how to use a new color that I purchased entirely by accident! It is a color that I would have thought I would have little or no use for, but I am learning that it is, in fact, really handy at times. It does actually make me wonder how often I miss out on something special or helpful just because I am not watching for it. It is a delightful " happy accident ".  Here is a verse that comes to mind with this little cutie.  Proverbs 17:22 (ESV) A joyful heart is good medicine, but a

Provision "How do you start a painting?" This is one variation of the question that I hear most. "Do you know what you are going to paint, or do you just start?" I have touched on this in this blog before, but I think this painting is a particularly good one to use to describe one of the ways paintings take shape in my studio.  SOLD 30" x 30"  painted with the finest quality heavy-body  acrylic  paint  on 1.5" deep, gallery wrapped  canvas Click here to view on my website.  Occasionally I "see" a painting in my head before I ever touch my supplies, and this is one of those works. The shapes and colors were there from the start, and I knew what the general concept would be, too. I suppose sometimes my subconscious mind is finding creative expressions while I work on other things, like homemaking. I knew that this work would be largely red-orange with a light, contained shape and a darker edge right from the first, and I knew tha

Purple Cosmos How is it already June? All of a sudden, this year is absolutely FLYING by me. (You too?) It is time for shows, contests, and art fairs, and somehow or other, it all sneaked up on me. This past weekend was a local art fair that I have always loved attending, and this year for the first time, I was one of the people in a white tent! It was a good show for me, but I already feel like I will busy until Christmas! Well, maybe not quite... No longer available 12 x 12"  painted with the finest quality acrylic heavy-body paint  on  acid-free, heavy weight Fabriano watercolor paper Ready to frame Today I finally got back into the studio to paint. Ahhh. That makes such a difference. The time just melts away, and I am surprised when I look at the clock and it is past time for me to be doing other things. Here is a work that has been many, many layers in the making, and is one of several that have been WIPs in my studio. I love the colors, textures, and the celesti